Some biological and immunological studies on toxocara vitulorum

The present study was primarily designed to prepareand examine ,in details the different types of Toxocara~itulorum antigens. Such antigens were tested biologicallyand immunologicaly for the detect~on, and determinationof Toxocara vitulorum antibodies.The specificity of whole worm, male, female, egg, 2nd ,3rd larval and polysacchanides antigens were reactedagainst Toxocara vitulorum serum by gel diffusion test.According to the results obtained it was noticed that agar geldiffusion tent gave satisfactory results with all of the7 prepared antigens which were capabl~ of producing preci-pitin lines • The agar gel diffusion test proved to be arelatively simple and reliable test for the serologicalscreened of Toxocara vitulorum infection. The antigenic complexity of Toxocara vitulorum wasagain evident by the demonstration of more than one bandof precipitation. The distances between the differentwells demonstrated that the antgens prepared fTom thelarvae were less effective that these prepared from thewhole worm. Also,it was found that the tube precipitationtest of iypophylised whole worm antigen produced cOillpara~tively higher. levels of precipitin (~- 1/256 ) than thepolysaccharide antigen (1/128).